Wizards of the Coast confirmed that artist Dan Frazier plagiarized Marta Neal's prior artwork for The One Ring card in the upcoming Magic: The Gathering set The Hobbit (Universes Beyond). The company plans to compensate Neal and credit her on digital versions. Frazier apologized, stating he used her work as a reference without making it his own.
Fans and artists spotted striking similarities between Dan Frazier's artwork for The One Ring in the forthcoming The Hobbit (Universes Beyond) set and Marta Neal's version from the Tales of Middle-earth set. Side-by-side comparisons revealed that Frazier's piece retained traces of runes from Neal's design, sparking speculation on the r/magicTCG subreddit and beyond. Both artists have long histories with Wizards of the Coast, with Frazier contributing to iconic cards since Limited Edition Alpha in 1993, including Ring of Ma’rûf, Berserk, and original Mox and Signet cards. Some fans initially defended him, suggesting the resemblance was coincidental given his veteran status. Frazier's agent noted that changes to the artwork meant certain versions were never reviewed. Wizards of the Coast and Frazier issued a joint statement on Bluesky confirming the similarities were not coincidental. “I made a mistake, and I feel awful. I especially feel for Marta, whose work I adore,” Frazier wrote. He explained that while referencing online images to depict The One Ring, he painted over Neal's version without sufficiently altering it. The company described the error as unintentional and announced plans to compensate Neal and credit her on digital versions of the card. Wizards thanked fans for spotting the issue and advocating for artists. “This is a good moment to recognize that we are all humans who make mistakes,” the company stated. “Dan made a mistake. We made a mistake in our process to not catch the error. We don’t condone or accept either, but we still value Dan and his contributions and are grateful for his place in the game.”